Rubber-composition flooring



J. B. LosEY Er AL RUBBER COMPOSITION FLOORING July 31, 1928.

Filed Feb. 21.k 1927 Patented July 3l, 1928.

UNITED STATES imam PATENT` loI-I-'ic-ia.

JOHN B. 'LOSEY AND WALTER E. STQNE, OESYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

RUBBER-COMPOSITION FLOORING.

Application led February 21, 1927, Serial Ito.

This invention relates to a rubber composition ooring as manufactured under the rocess set forth in our pending application erial N o. 66,5172 liled November 3, 1925. 5 One of the objects is to make a flooring or side strip of this character by vulcanizing a series of surface plates of rubber composition to a rubber composition base plate in such manner that the adjacent edges of thev surface plates will be unattached to each other to permit greater flexibilityof the entire unit and thereby to enable it to conform more readil to uneven supporting surfaces without lia ility of bucklin Another object is to make t 1e surface plates relatively hard for better resisting wear thereof and also to make the base plate relatively softer than the surface plates so as to form a more or less resilient cushion for said surface plates which in addition to reducing the wear upon the surface plates also serves to deaden the sound of impact of the feet or other objects upon the floor and to further permit the flooring to conform readily to uneven supporting surfaces.

Other objects and uses will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings: Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are respectively a perspective of a flooring strip embodying our invention, an enlarged longitudinal sectional view, partly broken away, of said flooring strip, a perspective view of a series of detached surface plates adapted to be applied to the base plate, a perspective view, partly broken away, of the base plate and a erspective view of the woven wire rein-l orcement.

As illustrated, this iiooring strip as -F comprises a base plate -12- and a series of surface plates 1J- and -bfarranged edge to edge lengthwise of and upon the base plate -12- and vulcanized thereto under heat and pressure to form a unitary structure as shown in Figures 1 and 2.`

In some instances a woven wire reinforcement -13- may be imbedded in the back or lower face of the base section l2- during the process of vulcanization but is not necessary to the formation .of a complete flooring strip for all practical purposes.

The base plate -12- is made of relatively soft rubber composition to form a resilient cushion for the surface plates Zi- 55 and -band may be made of any suitable length, width or thickness but is preferably 189,892, and in Great Britain August 19, 1926.

of uniform width and also of uniform thickness from end to end and from side to side.

The surface plates -b and -bare made of relativel hard rubber composition and are arrange edge to edge lengthwise of and upon the base plate -12 and vulcanized thereto so as to become a unitary part thereof, said surfaceiplate being also of uniform .width and thickness correspondmg approximately to the width and thickness of the base plate 12-.

It will be noted however that the adjacent edges of the plates -band -bare unattached to each other thus formin a series of longitudinal slits -11- exten ing from the outer surface of the plates to the base plate for the fpurpose of increasing the flexibility of the ooring strip and thereby allowing it to conform more readilyl to uneven contours of its support and at the same time permitting a limited expansion and contraction of the base late and surface plates without liability of uckling the flooring strip as a whole.

The surface plates are referably made in squares of about the widtlh of the base plate and if desired, alternate surface plates may be made in different colors to represent tiling or other mosaics but in either case the adjacent edges of the plates are left unattached to each other from edge to edge of the flooring strip for the purposes described.

During the process of vulcanizing the plates -band -bto the base plate l2- the molds used for that purpose are provided with means for forming a tongue -gand a groove -gon or in opposite longitudinal edges and opposite end edges of the flooring strip -F- so that the ooring strips when assembled upon a sup-v port may be matched one into the other to form a substantially continuous rubber composition mat.

When the reinforcement -13- is desired it will be incorporated under the base plate -12- during the process of vulcanizing the surface plates band--bto the base plate at which time the three elements, namely the surface plates, the base plate and reinforcing fabric -13- will be subjected to a vulcanizing heat and pressure, the pressure serving to force the reinforcement -13- into the bottom of the plate l2-.'

What we claim is 1. A iiooi'ing or siding comprising a base section of relatively soft rubber composition and a plurality otsurfacesections of relaone surface of the su portin section with tively harder rubber composition vulcanized their adjacent edges a utting ut not united to one surface of the base section and prot0 permitl the relatively softer supporting 16 vided with a tongue and a groove along its sectlon and harder surface sections to readl opposite edge, both in the plane of the vulily conform to more or less uneven Hoor sureanized surfaces, the meeting edges of the faces upon which the softer section is adaptsurface sections being in abutting relation ed to rest. but not united. In Witness whereof We have hereunto set 20 2. A iiooring or siding comprisin a relaour hands this 26th day of January, 1927.

10 tively soft supporting section of rub er Composition and relatively harder surface sec- JOHN B. LOSEY. tions of rubber composition vulcanized to WALTER R. STONE. 

